


Miscommunication

by WriterToo18



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Confessions, Don't hate me for those, F/M, Fluff, Heartbreak, Liv bashing slightly, Love, Toni Storm bashing slightly, Tumblr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:14:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21824236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WriterToo18/pseuds/WriterToo18
Summary: Valerie, a wrestler for NXT UK, is having trouble dealing with her feelings towards one Tyler Bate. She’s a part of British Strong Style, at least she was. Toni Storm, Jinny, and Liv Morgan make some appearances in both good and bad ways, a gift is given, but what happens?
Relationships: Tyler Bate/Original Character(s)
Kudos: 4





	Miscommunication

**Author's Note:**

> I only own my characters, Talise and Valerie. I also love Liv and Toni, but it had to happen... All of my works are on Tumblr as well @writertoo18

“It’s not like you to just wander off.” says Talise softly from behind her.

“Couldn’t stick around to watch that again. You know how annoying it gets to see her around him.” replies Valerie as she wraps her wrists, voice a bit growly.

“Val, you can’t honestly think that he would choose Liv over you. She doesn’t see him that way. They’re like siblings not lovers, besides she’s been trying to push you two together for a year now.” explains Talise as she walks in front of her to look her in the eye.

“Tali, I need to go,” replies Valerie as she stands up to head to the curtains. “My match is in a few minutes. Good luck with your interviews tonight.”

“Talk to HIM!” calls Talise loudly, voice echoing down the hallway.

Valerie doesn’t bother responding, fixing her hair before she walks into Guerrilla and waits for her music. No words, just sultry music playing as she becomes confident and seductive. She walks down the ramp, hips swaying as she moves to the music. Her entrance takes three minutes, ending as she pulls herself over the ropes out of her split and she blows a kiss to the crowd. She goes over to the corner as she hears Jinny’s music blast through the arena, standing on the steps with her head down. She waits until the Referee gets in the ring before she gets in the ring. She’s jumping and shaking her wrists, mind clouded as she looks at the mat.

“Hey, you ready?” asks Joe, the referee, startling her out of her thoughts.

She nods instead of responding, shaking her head to clear her mind as she hears the bell ring. She and Jinny circle each other before locking up, but for a moment Jinny gets the upper-hand. Jinny pushes her forcefully towards a corner, she sits there a second before smirking as she nods at Jinny. Valerie stands hits her quickly before hitting her with a dropkick. Jinny goes to stand up, but Valerie quickly soccer kicks her in the ribs, going for the pin. Only a two count.

Valerie stands Jinny up only to have her head wrenched to the mat as Jinny gets a handful of hair. Her hands fly up to grip her head as pain shoots through her skull. Jinny drags her to a corner and stomps on her chest. Pain fills her as she cries out, but she forces herself to kick Jinny’s knee out from under her. Jinny falls forward as Valerie rolls out of the ring. She uses the ropes to hit Jinny in her side with her feet. Valerie turns Jinny over for the pin only to have her kick out at 2 and three quarters.

“Ugh! Seriously?!” groans Valerie frustratedly as she looks up at the Ref.

Jinny manages to roll her up into a small package, but she kicks out at two. Jinny turns to argue with the Ref in annoyance. Valerie, while Jinny is distracted, stands on shaky legs and waits. Jinny turns around and eats a superkick, and Valerie smirks as she pulls her into a grounded guillotine. Jinny screams as she tries to wiggle out of the hold, but Valerie twists enough to lock her legs around her midsection and squeeze her ribs. Jinny furiously taps, and Valerie releases the hold after the Ref forces her too. She stands and lets the ref hold her hand up in victory before she’s suddenly falling forward. Her head slams into the mat and she’s unconscious but only for a few moments as suddenly her eyes fly open as she’s being picked up.

She sees Jazzy holding her in the air, so she uses her hand to grip Jazzy’s finger and bend it backwards, making her drop her. She rolls through her fall, turning to quickly superkick Jazzy into the ropes. Jazzy comes towards her, and Valerie meets her with a running knee strike, then an enziguri to follow her as Jazzy falls to her knees. She’s grabbed by her hair and thrown out the ring, as she rolls on the ground, she sees Jinny sliding out of the ring. Jinny reaches her quickly grabbing her and throwing her, back first, into the barricade. Then her hair is being wrenched and her face meets the ring post.

“How do you like that? Huh, Show-off?” taunts Jinny as she grabs Val by the hair and drags her up the ramp to the commentators table.

Valerie tries to push Jinny off her, but then a shoe is stomping her back into the ground. She goes to curl up, but she’s picked up as her hands fly to grip the back of Jazzy’s head.

“No… No… Stop…” pleads Valerie as she looks around.

Next thing she knows, she’s falling into the commentator’s table. It shatters under her, and pain explodes through her body. Her mouth is open in almost a silent scream as officials surround her. She rolls onto her stomach, pain forcing her to move slow, and she forces herself into a standing position. She pushes through the group of officials, limping towards the commentators, hand holding her back. She motions towards the headset in Tom Phillip’s hands, it’s hastily handed to her.

She takes a deep, pained breath before snarling, “Jinny and Jazzy want a war? They’ve got one!”

She tosses the headset back to Tom before limping to the back. She ignores everyone in favor of walking to the locker room gingerly. She walks inside and feels anger and frustration build in her at the situation. She turns and punches the wall, satisfaction taking over as she feels it crack just a bit. She feels pain beginning to spread from her knuckles to her wrist, but she ignores it in favor of pulling her fist away from the wall. She sees a bit of blood on the wall, and she looks down to see her knuckles busted and bleeding. Valerie grabs a towel from her bag, goes to the sink to wet a corner of it, and heads back towards the wall to clean the blood. Next, she grabs her bag, and ruffles through to find her clothes. She picks out a pair of ripped blue jeans, a blue cropped sweatshirt with a crescent moon, and her black converse.

Valerie begins to take the tape off, cleaning the blood from her knuckles, nodding her head to the song stuck in her head.

“Valerie! Oh my god! What happened to your hand? Are you okay after what Jazzy and Jinny did? Tali and Ty told me they thought you may have been knocked unconscious!” exclaims Liv out of nowhere, concern evident in her voice.

“Liv...? What the... Fuck!” stutters Valerie as she jumps and hits her busted knuckles on the locker above her.

“Oh no!” exclaims Liv sheepishly, as she gets walks over to her. “I’m sorry I scared you. I guess I should’ve knocked, huh?”

“Huh? Oh, you’re fine.” replies Valerie softly with a reassuring smile. “I wasn’t paying attention. I’m all good. Did you need something?”

“Oh… I… Um…” stutters Liv.

“Let me guess, Tali sent you in here to talk with me about Bate.” replies Valerie shortly as she grabs her clothes. “There’s nothing to talk about. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to finish up.”

“Wait, Valerie, don’t try to shut me out already.” pleads Liv as she moves in front of her. “You and I need to talk, but Tali isn’t the one who sent me to find you.”

“Look, I need to change and bandage my hand.” replies Valerie tiredly as the tension drains and the pain resurfaces. “Can you give me like ten minutes? We can talk once I’ve changed.”

“Yeah, that’s fine.” says Liv as she moves out of the way. “I’ll wait out here for you, and I’ll tell Tyler that we’re going to talk.”

Valerie doesn’t say anything as she walks to the back to change. She pulls on her cropped sweatshirt, easily slides on her jeans, and slips into her converse quickly. She picks up her discarded clothes and walks back to the locker to stuff her things into her bag. She grabs her black belt, sliding it through the loops and latching it. Finally, she pulls the hairband out of her hair and parts her hair before pulling on a grey, ruffled beanie.

“Alright, we can talk now.” says Valerie as she turns to look at Liv.

“Damn girl, you look gorgeous!” exclaims Liv with a grin as she sits on the bench. “You should wear your hair down more often, not that the updo doesn’t look good on you.”

“Oh, thanks.” replies Valerie shyly as she sits and looks at the ground. “I prefer to wear it up. I’m... um… I’m going to bandage my knuckles. We can talk though.”

“Tyler wasn’t lying, you’re not good at taking compliments.” says Liv softly.

“Don’t… Well… I didn’t get compliments until I started wrestlin’ on the Indie scene.” replies Valerie as she wraps her knuckles up. “Ty and Pete were the first two people to give me a compliment. It was weird.”

“Is that how you met Tyler?” asks Liv curiously with a calm demeanor.

“No, I met him a year before that in an intergender match.” replies Valerie softly as a fond smile rises to her lips at the memory. “I pinned the girl after hitting him with a superkick and rolling her up. He congratulated me on the win.”

“When was that?” asks Liv.

“About five years ago. Well, it’ll be five years ago on Friday. That was my first match, so I’ll never forget it.” replies Valerie with a soft smile.

“That’s amazing! You’ve really only been doing this for five years?” asks Liv in awe.

“Wrestling? Yes. Martial arts? No.” replies Valerie softly as she packs her bag correctly, folding everything. “I’ve been competing in Martial arts competitions for nine to ten years now.”

“You’re really experienced then, huh?” asks Liv hopefully as she stands. “I know you have to leave, but do you think we could meet up to practice? I’m trying to come up with a new move, but I want it to be a submission and original to me. Would you mind helping me? I only have two weeks, and my girls aren’t very helpful since they’re working on other things.”

“I’m sure Tyler or Pete could help.” replies Valerie almost in shock. “Rhea and Toni could help as well. They’d be better help than I would.”

“They’ve been too busy, but every single one of them said your name.” says Liv as she looks at her with diminishing hope. “I asked them earlier, you disappeared from the group before I could ask.”

“What are you thinking then?” asks Valerie softly.

“I’m thinking something like the octopus, but I don’t want people to chant “A.J. Lee” at me.” replies Liv as she sits down again. “I also like the triangle, but I don’t know if I could combine them. This is where I’m really struggling right now.”

“Well… Wait, what happened to the guillotine?” asks Valerie as she sits too, a thoughtful look on her face. “Why do you want a different submission? Have you tried the octopus but using it to transition into a triangle?”

“You’ve made the guillotine way to amazing, and besides that I haven’t used it since NXT.” says Liv softly as she looks over at her from where she’s resting her elbows on her legs. “I’ve never thought about that. I could do that, maybe even latch onto their leg at the same time. That’s a really good idea, Valerie.”

“That’s what I was thinking. That’d be easier for you to use both submissions, but turn it into your own.” replies Valerie as she stands up and starts to move a bit while thinking. “You could even be in the Octopus hold but maybe turn it upside down to use the triangle. That might work, and you’d be able to use both holds.”

“That’s amazing!” exclaims Liv excitedly as she hugs Valerie quickly. “Thank you! I can’t… You’re brilliant Valerie! I can’t wait to practice with my girls tomorrow!”

“Umm… You’re welcome.” replies Valerie a bit taken aback by the reaction. “You can call me Val, ya know. How are you practicing with the girls? I thought they were back on the road this week.”

“They’re not going to be on the road.” says Liv simply as she grabs Valerie’s bag and hands it to her. “We are meeting in Jersey to practice. We’re all going to be on TV in two weeks with big matches, that’s why we must practice. I’m so glad that I will finally have something to practice. They’ve been practicing, but I’ve been trying to figure out what to do.”

“Okay, well, I’m glad I could help.” replies Valerie as she begins to walk to the door. “I… Well, I need to go. Later, Liv.”

“Thank you, Valerie!” exclaims Liv once again.

“It’s Val, Liv.” replies Valerie simply as she moves to open the door.

“Oh, I get to call you Val now? Does this mean you’re not mad at me anymore?” asks Liv with a smile, but curiosity shows in her eyes.

“I wasn’t mad at you. Why’d you think that?” asks Valerie in confusion.

“Tali said it was because you thought I wanted Tyler.” says Liv softly as she walks to her. “You constantly avoid and ignore me. I’m lucky if I ever see you. I can’t tell you enough that I never wanted Tyler as more than a friend. He’s like a brother to me. I’m sorry that I hurt you so much.”

“Look, I wasn’t ever angry… I just…” rambles Valerie softly as she turns to her. “It’s stupid honestly. I’ve had feelings for Tyler for a long time. I had this stupid crush on him when we first met. I got over it, so I thought, when I went to a different promotion. Then he popped up again and again, and that stupid crush came back. Only this time it was more than I ever thought it would be. I never thought anything would come from it because I mean, look at me then look at him. It’d never work, I’m 5’6 and 186 pounds and I’m a bitch. I’m not that pretty and I don’t leave a good impression on anyone. I was jealous of how amazing you two look together, how easy it is for you two to flirt, and how easy it is for the fans to ship you two together. Ty and I flirt, but it’s harmless and I can’t look too into it on his part. Anyways, that was a long winded and unnecessary ramble.”

“You two really need to talk, Val.” says Liv softly as she shakes her head. “I honestly cannot believe that you don’t see the way he looks at you.”

“Yeah, right. That’s not happening anytime soon, he’s angry with me.” scoffs Valerie as she looks back towards the door.

“Well, you chose Pete over him. You always train with Tyler, but you picked to train with Pete instead. He definitely wasn’t happy about that.” says Liv softly as she puts her hand on Valerie’s shoulder.

“I… Tyler makes it hard to focus. He’s constantly distracting me, in all good ways of course, but still. Pete is a lot harder on me, though I almost passed out last time, he makes me train harder than ever. Besides, I just got an offer to move to NXT. Only problem is that it’d be a permanent move…” trails off Valerie as she looks at the floor.

“You can’t leave!” exclaims Liv. “NXT UK is your home, Val, this is not a decision to take lightly. This would be leaving your home, leaving all your friends behind. You would be leaving your routine, and everyone who loves you behind. Val, you’d start from the bottom and you’d have to fight ten times harder.”

“I know but it’d be an amazing opportunity.” replies Valerie, shoulders curled inward in defeat. Like I said, it’s been difficult. Honestly, I know I won’t switch rosters, I just… I don’t know… I feel like it would help me give up on this stupid obsession.”

“Val, I think you’d be making a huge mistake.” argues Liv defiantly. “You… It’s not stupid, nor is it an obsession. Val, it’s love, and there is nothing wrong with that. You are in love with him. Moving to forget about him won’t help anything hon. It will Just make everything worse, and you’ll feel worse. The only thing that will change is, you’ll be alone over there. Don’t rush into a decision that you’ll regret.”

“Thanks, Liv, but I really do need to go.” replies Valerie before rushing through the door ignoring Liv’s question, “Are you leaving NXT UK?”

She makes it almost to the door, pain in her leg building as she walks quickly trying to alleviate some of the pressure.

“Val!” calls Talise.

“I gotta go Tali.” replies Valerie without looking at her.

“You okay?” asks Talise as she steps in front of Valerie, stopping her in her tracks.

“Yeah, just hurting and tired.” replies Valerie softly.

“You talked to Tyler yet?” asks Talise as though she doesn’t already know the answer.

“You know I haven’t, and I don’t plan to.” replies Valerie with an eyeroll.

“Please...” starts Talise.

“Talk to him. I know, Tali. There’s nothing to talk about though. Just forget it okay. Goodbye Talise.” snaps Valerie frustratedly as she waves her hands and begins walking towards the door.

“What happened to your hand?” asks Talise as she calls to her.

“Punched the wall. Goodbye!” calls Valerie as she pushes the door open and rushes outside.

She ignores the people loitering in the lot in favor of running to her car, trying to ignore the pain building in her leg. She’s breathing heavily, pain soaring through her tired body as she pops the trunk on her blue Camry. Then she throws her things in the trunk, slamming it shut as her phone begins to go off.

“Hello?”

“Why’d you punch the wall?”

“Shit.” grumbles Valerie as she pulls the phone away from her ear and sees that it’s Tyler.

“Dammit. I just did, okay?”

“Valerie.”

“Tyler.”

“Where are you?”

“Leaving.”

She gets in her car, putting the key in the ignition, and waits.

“Parking Lot?”

“Goodbye Tyler.”

Click.

Valerie quickly turns the key, the purr of the engine making her breathe a little easier, before expertly exiting the parking lot. She breathes deeply, calmingly because she knows something, they don’t know yet. She drives to her flat in Oxford, silence settled deeply to the point where her overbearing, antagonizing thoughts are making noise that’s normally ignored. She parks in the lot behind the building, turns the car off, and lets her head fall against her steering wheel. Valerie squeezes her eyes shut at the stinging of tears, and picks up her ringing phone. It’s Talise… She hits ignore and lets the phone drop from her hand.

“God,” groans Valerie as her phone rings again. “I am acting like a child right now.”

She picks up her phone, sees it’s Sid, takes a deep breath, and answers it.

“Hello?”

“Valerie, we need to talk.”

“Sid, it’s been a long night.”

“I know, but something’s come up.”

“I am not working until next Wednesday.”

“It’s not that Valerie.”

“My apologies then, Sid, what’s up?”

“You punched a wall.”

“Uh…”

“You were unconscious.”

“Well…”

“You were badly injured.”

“I…”

“But you didn’t see the trainer.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Why did you not follow protocol?”

“It’s a bruised injury, nothing else Sid.”

“Do not lie to me, Ms. James, or there will be repercussions.”

“I’m not lying, Sid. I am perfectly fine.”

“Well, Mr. Saint isn’t happy.”

“I’m sure he isn’t, that’s why you called.”

“You know what happens.”

“I’m aware. I’ll be at the PC in the morning.”

“No. He’d like you back here in twenty minutes.”

“I’m thirty or forty minutes away, Sid.”

“The hotel is ten minutes away, James.

“I’m not at the hotel Scala, or the distance time would be less.”

Valerie groans as she lets her head hit her steering wheel again, frustration building.

“Ms. James, you stayed at the hotel, right?”

“Not last night, no. I’m at my flat in Oxford, Mr. Scala, so do you still want me to come back to the arena?”

“Yes. Show’s still going, so be here before the end of the show.”

“Fine. See you shortly sir.”

“Goodbye, Mrs. James.”

She hangs up, thumb smashing the end button in frustration, groaning, “God this is a bloody mess!” 

She starts up her car, putting it in drive, and her phone rings again. She angrily answers the phone without looking.

“What?!”

“Val, finally!”

“What Talise?”

“Oh, you’re pissed.”

Pulling out of the parking lot, she laughs sarcastically as she speaks, “Ya think?”

“Sid?”

“Let’s just say, I’m coming back.”

“You didn’t see the trainer.

“Which would be why I am COMING BACK!”

“What about the…?”

“Orders are orders.”

“You’ve been ordered to return?”

“Good lord, Tali. Why else would I come back?!”

“Sorry, geez. I’m playing catch up here.”

“I know, I’m sorry. I’m just annoyed.”

“It sucks that you have to come back though.”

“Yeah, it’s a lot of gas for a bloody, unneeded checkup.”

“I’m sure it does, but you’re ten minutes away Val. So, what’s the problem?”

“I’m not at the hotel, Talise, I went home.”

“Why’d you go home?”

“I wasn’t too far away, and I’m only an hour from the next arena.”

“You almost here?”

“Pulling in now.”

“Alright, bye.”

“Bye.”

She pulls her car up by the building as Talise ends the call, then she shuts it off and looks at the building for a moment. She wipes her face, knowing she has red tear streaks staining her cheeks. She gets out, grabbing only her keys and her phone, pain thrumming through her body. Valerie walks through the building, heading to guerrilla, with her head down and her bottom lip clenched between her teeth. She takes a breath before finally looking up and looking for Johnny Saint and Sid.

“Valerie! So glad you came back.” sneers Jinny rudely as she gets in her face.

“Fuck off Jinny!” snaps Toni as she walks up beside Valerie.

“Ah, Valerie, I’m glad you came back.” says Johnny as he steps between them. “The trainer is waiting for you in the room. Talise and Liv will go with you.”

“I don’t need anyone to come with me, Johnny, I will be fine alone.” replies Valerie softly as she looks at him.

“That wasn’t a suggestion.” says Johnny sternly in that no-nonsense tone that sends shivers down everyone’s spines. “Talise, Liv, go with her to the trainer. See you three in a bit, after I’ve handled a few things.”

“Let’s go Val, see you in a bit GM.” says Liv hastily while tugging on Valerie’s sleeve.

“Chill Liv, I’m going.” replies Valerie in annoyance.

“Val don’t be rude to her.” says Talise shortly.

Valerie just shakes her head, hair flying, before walking to the trainer’s room. Pain is shooting through her as she walks in and sits down on the table. Her eyes are on the laptop that’s showing Trent’s match with Imperium’s own Alexander Wolfe.

“Why is Tyler running out there?” asks Valerie, concern evident in her voice as she looks from the girls to the screen. “What about his ankle?! Liv! Did you know about this?”

“I didn’t know anything.” replies Liv softly as she looks at Valerie. “Val... He... He’ll be fine.”

“Guys, relax. He’s going to be fine, and his ankle isn’t that bad.” reassures Talise as she puts her hands on their shoulders softly.

“I have a bad feeling about this.” replies Valerie softly as she watches the rest of Imperium come out. “Why isn’t anyone stopping this? Are they really going to just let this happen?”

“I can’t he’d skin me alive.” whispers Liv as panic surges through her voice.

“Dammit, Val, you have to help. Jinny’s joined Imperium.” says Talise as Jinny and Jazzy come running out to the ring.

“Rhea and Toni can handle it.” replies Valerie as she forces herself to look away.

“Why is it only Toni then? Valerie, you have to do this!” points out Liv as she shakes Valerie’s shoulder.

“Toni really cares about Tyler; she went out there for him.” replies Valerie as the trainer finishes checking on her. “I’ve got no reason to go out there, so you two need to just give it up. No one is going to convince me that going out there is a good idea.”

“You were right, you are clear.” says Jake with a soft smile.

“Good, Val, it’s time.” says Johnny knowingly as he steps further into the room, making his presence known. “You need to help your boys. Jordan will go out there with you. It’s now Imperium with Jinny and Jazzy versus British Strong Style, Jordan Devlin, Toni Storm, and Val Jay.”

“Do I have to? Rhea would be a better match.” argues Valerie without looking at him.

“Yes, you do.” replies Johnny in his boss tone once again. “We have big plans for this feud. You are closer to those men than Rhea and even Toni. Just do it. You know you want to get in the ring with them again.”

“I’ll go out there, but I’m not joining right away.” replies Valerie as she hops off the table. “I won’t touch them, nor will I stand with them afterwards. Do what you want with that.”

“They’ll have to convince you next Wednesday.” says Johnny with a knowing gleam in his eye. “I will discuss that with the boys this weekend. I expect you to be at the P.C. on Monday so we can talk as well though.”

“I’m going out like this.” replies Valerie, ignoring that last part as she turns to him.

“If you can fight like that, then I have no problem with that.” says Johnny with a nod.

“Good, then let’s go.” replies Valerie with a smirk.

She leaves, leading them, and heads to guerrilla confidently as she slips into her character.

“You ready Val?” asks Jordan.

“Yeah, but I’m not joining right away. I’ll be going out to help but that’s it. You ready?” asks Valerie with her trademark Val smirk.

“Okay, I’m sure Johnny will explain later. Let’s go.” says Jordan, smirk in place, as his music blares through the arena.

She watches as Jazzy goes to slam Toni into the ring post, and she takes off without thinking. Jinny comes towards her as she runs down the ramp only to get hit with a running knee. Valerie rolls though without losing her beanie, smirk playing on her lip as she looks away from Jinny and locks eyes with Jazzy. When Jazzy drops Toni and begins to yell at her, she gets up on the ring apron as though she’s going to step through. She quickly transitions and pulls down the top rope as Toni pushes Jazzy out of the ring and falls to her knees. She turns to see the boys fighting, when her legs are suddenly pulled forward causing her to fall back and hit her head hard on the ring apron. She forces herself into a standing position in front of Jinny, then she backs up before superkicking Jinny when she’s distracted by Toni. Jinny falls against Jazzy who then eats a superkick, though not as strong. Imperium runs to the stage, and they join them before that group walks to the back grumbling under their breath.

“Val come on!” call Toni over the roar of the crowd.

She almost does, but she stops. Valerie looks at them, going down the line until her eyes land on Tyler. He’s got shock written all over him, but his eyes are filling with anger as they meet. She sneers, “Never Again!” Then she turns and stalks to the back, emotions bubbling to the surface but not quite spilling over. She’s immediately pulled off the side to be checked and to do an interview.

“Concussion, mild, but I’ll check you on Monday.” says Jake softly before walking off.

“You ready, Val?” asks Radzi timidly.

“Yeah, ready when you are.” replies Valerie from her spot on the equipment box with a soft smile.

Radzi nods at the camera as Valerie puts a scowl on her face.

“Alright, I’m here with Val Jay,” says Radzi as he turns to her a bit nervously. “Val, you just went out there and helped them. It shocked us all, and everyone in the arena were on their feet. Can you tell us why you went out there?”

“The only reason I went out there was because Jinny and Jazzy were sticking their noses where they don’t belong.” snarls Valerie as she glowers at Radzi.

“So, you only went out there to get Jinny and Jazzy out of there?” asks Radzi as he shrinks back from her. “Will you not go out there again if those two get involved once again? Was this a one time thing? You didn’t go out there to help your friends?”

“They are not my friends, Radzi.” sneers Valerie as she spits his name out, standing from her spot on the equipment box to tower over Radzi. “I am not apart of their group. Radzi, let me let you in on a little secret, okay? I may not be here for much longer. I’ve got a wonderful job opportunity from Mr. Regal. So, I’m just going to be trying to decide if it’s where I want to go. I’m leaning towards it, and that is it!”

“Val, one more question.” says Radzi timidly as he stops her from walking off by stepping in her way. “The fans have suspected you and Tyler to be in a relationship. However, you look at each other in anger tonight. Val, are you two together? Can we assume that you have feelings for each other?”

The mask drops as Valerie looks at him in complete shock. She tries to pull herself back into Val Jay, but she struggles to respond and knows that it’s time.

“Okay, Val Jay has left the building.” replies Valerie, taking a deep breath. “Radzi, all I can say is, I know how I feel. I know that my feelings are obvious, but I don’t know anything about his. You’ll have to ask him. Goodbye, Radzi.”

She turns and walks down the hall, the parking lot door in sight.

“Valerie! Val! VALERIE!”

She turns to see Tyler coming towards her as her hand lands on the doorknob. She turns just in time to see something that makes her stomach drop and her heart shatter. She almost crumbles at the sight. Toni stops him and pulls him in for a kiss, and Valerie turns and rushes through the door as a lone tear slides down her cheek. She gets in her car, the movement a blur but the pain obvious, and she pulls out her phone.

Val: Tali, he and Toni kissed. Tell Liv that I plan to say yes. Watch my interview. I’m shutting my phone off; I’ll turn it on when I get home.

Valerie takes a deep breath before turning her phone off and starting her car up, the purr of the engine providing a calming sensation to her rising emotional outpour that is starting to come. As she pulls out of the parking lot, she misses the figure rushing towards her as rain begins to rapidly fall. She makes the drive with tears falling as fast as the rain that pounds against her car. Sobs fall from her lips, and she pulls into her parking lot and parks for the second time that night. She shuts her car off, throwing her keys in the passenger seat as she grabs her phone and turns it on and pulls her knees to her chest.

“God, I really don’t want to walk out in this.” groans Valerie as she sees and hears the rain harshly coming down.

She grabs her sun visor from her backseat, putting it in her front window, then she pulls out her meshy sunshade to cover her other windows. She climbs to the back, grabbing her folded blanket and her small pillow, and gets comfortable as her phone goes off. Valerie groans as she sits up, reaching up to the front to grab her phone out of the cup holder.

“Hello?”

“Valerie? You okay?”

“I’m good. What’s up?”

“You text me, then silence.”

“Tali, I’m fine. I was just driving home.”

“Valerie.”

“Talise?”

“Valerie Anne James!”

“What Talise May Jackson?!”

“You can’t be okay.”

“I am okay though.”

“No way in Hell are you okay.”

“Talise, I’m perfectly fine.”

“Tell the truth.”

“What is the problem?”

“You are trying to tell me that you are fine after what you texted me. Stop lying.”

“Have you talked to Liv?”

“Yes, and she’s upset.”

“Expected. Did you watch my interview?”

“No, not yet, we’re about to.”

“Call me after. Bye.”

She hangs up without waiting for a response. Valerie drops her head to her chest as her phone beeps again. Through bleary eyes, she sees that it’s a low battery notification.

“Where’s my portable at?” wonders Valerie as she looks at her phone. “How’d I get through that without her questioning how I sound?”

Valerie shakes her head, sighing, before leaning up towards the front to reach her glove box. She pulls out her portable charger and her chord, then she sits back and plugs her phone in. It beeps to let her know it’s charging, then she sits it on the floor so it’s below her head. She covers herself up with her plush, warm blanket and lays her head against the pillow. Her phone goes off again and she groans as she looks to see Tyler’s name on her phone.

“God, I should’ve known.” grumbles Valerie as she reaches for it and answers it bringing the phone up to her ear.

“Hello?”

“Valerie, we need to talk.”

“We are.”

“No, I mean face-to-face”

“Wednesday.”

“No, tonight, please.”

“Can’t.”

“You can too.”

“I really can’t.”

“You at the next hotel?”

“Nope.”

“Val, you… Oh yeah, you’re not performing this weekend.”

“Nope.”

“Where are you?”

“In my car.”

“In your… Is it raining?”

“Pouring, again.”

“You’re home then.”

“In my car still.”

“Well, yeah. You hate walking in the rain, and you’re hurting. I’ll be there soon.”

“Tyler, I’m fine. You guys need to get to the hotel in Brighton.”

“You’re fifteen minutes away from me right now.”

“Your check in is at midnight.”

“The boys are going to handle that.”

“Ty, you can’t come here without the boys. If you do, I’ll drive you there myself.”

“I will come without the boys, then I’ll catch a cab home.”

“No, that’s not going to happen. You know I won’t let you do that.”

“Then you’ll stay with me at the hotel.”

“Tyler! You weren’t even talking to me earlier, so why are you acting concerned now?”

“It’s not acting! I care for you… more than I probably should.”

“Just… Stop already.”

“I’m not going to just stop, Valerie, I need you to understand that you matter to me. I was upset with you, irrationally, but I’ve handled that. I will be there soon, Val. Goodbye,”

“Tyler, wait…”

The click is loud in her ear, and she looks at the phone frustratedly. Then she growls and calls Talise.

“Hello?”

“Tali! Tyler is driving to my flat.”

“I know. Liv and I told him to. He didn’t kiss Toni, she kissed him. He told her no. It was handled. We plan to handle his check-in.”

“Tell him not to come.”

“Why should I?”

“I’ll drive to Brighton and meet him at the hotel.”

“I’ll tell him, but I don’t think he’ll go for it.”

“I’m leaving in ten minutes, so I tell him to call me.”

“Okay, I will.”

“Bye.”

Again, she doesn’t wait for a response before she hangs up. She moves her blanket up to her front seat as her phone rings. She answers it without looking.

“Hello?”

“Val, you are not driving to the hotel in Brighton. You will be exhausted by the time you make it here.”

“Tyler, I am too. You can’t honestly think I will listen to you. I’m leaving gin ten.”

“Val, please don’t be so stupid! You aren’t going to drive to Brighton then drive home!”

“Tyler, I’m about to leave. Don’t argue with me about it. I will room with someone for the night if I have to.”

“Valerie! Don’t you think it’d be stupid? You need to just stay where you are, and I will come to you.”

“I will see you at the hotel, Tyler. We will talk either in my car or in you boys’ rooms.”

“Fine. I will wait in the lobby. Please be careful.”

“See you shortly.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.”

Valerie quickly goes about clearing her windows, tossing the visor to the back. She slides into her front seat, starting the car as she wraps her blanket comfortable around her. She quickly gets back on the road and heads towards Brighton in silence. That silences lasts all of ten seconds before her phone is ringing, cutting through the silence unsuspectingly. Val hits the answer button, putting it on speaker without taking her eyes off the road.

“Yes?”

“Where you at?”

“On my way.”

“To where?”

“Who am I talking to?”

“Liv.”

“Oh… I’m on my way to the hotel.”

“Oh, are you and Tyler going to talk things out?”

“Honestly? I don’t know because I’m not sure what to expect. I mean, I don’t really know what’s going on in his head right now.”

“Well, let me tell you something. Can you keep an open mind?”

“Just say it, Liv. I’m exhausted and hurting. Aside from that, it’s storming.”

Thunder rumbles and for a moment, the line goes dead quiet.

“Why are you driving in the rain? Do you have an umbrella? Tyler never lets you get out of a car when it’s storming unless he’s got an umbrella open.”

“I’m fine. I’ll be fine, and Tyler won’t do a damn thing.”

“Who the hell says I won’t?”

“Liv, what the hell?!”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to put you on speaker.”

“It’s fine, but I thought you were with Tali.”

“I am, she called Trent because our car broke down. Trent gave Tyler the phone because he’s driving.”

“Where are you?”

“Closer to you.”

“I’ll come get you.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Send me the location, Ty?”

“Got it.”

“Thanks, Val!”

“No problem.”

“Bye.”

She hangs up without another word, pulling off into an empty lot as her phone dings with a text. It’s Tyler with the location as well as another text.

Tyler<3: Just so you know, I would still be there to shield you. I just know that you don’t want that anymore.

Val: Who said that?

A blush spreads over her cheeks as she sends that simple three worded message that has a meaning, she hopes he understands. She sets up the directions and gets back on her way. It’s been about an hour and a half by the time she reaches them, but the rain is just getting worse. She pulls in front of them on the road and takes a deep breath before popping the trunk and getting out. She slams her door shut before quickly sprinting to the other car to grab their bags and run them back to her car. She turns to see them blurrily coming.

“Is there anything else that needs to go in the trunk?” asks Valerie loudly.

“Nope!” calls Talise.

“No, but the tow truck is here!” calls Liv loudly, voice barely able to be heard over the storm.

“I’ll handle it, you two get in the car and get warmed up.” replies Valerie as she walks past them towards the car.

“Tyler is going to kill us.” says Liv.

“Yep, definitely.” mumbles Valerie.

She walks to the car, meeting the guy there.

“Thank you for doing this.” says Valerie as she fills out the form, he hands her.

“Not a problem lil lady.” leers the guy, breath smelling of alcohol.

“Here’s the form, keys are inside, and if you ever call me little lady again, we will have a serious problem.” replies Valerie trying to be confident though her anxiety is rapidly rising.

“What are you gonna do if I push you up against the car and…” sneers the guy.

“If you try, I promise that I will show you why I’m a wrestler.” snaps Valerie, anxiety there but not noticeable.

“You reek of fear, besides there’s no way that you’re a wrestler.” sneers the guy as he pushes her against the car.

She doesn’t do anything for a moment, frozen in fear at the situation. It’s not until she feels his hand slipping under her shirt, that she snaps. She brings her foot around to hit him hard in the back of the knee. He moves back to get his balance, and she brings her hand s up as if she’s boxing again. She jabs twice, catching him both times, then she kicks out his knee, watching him fall. She pulls out her phone, then puts it back, choosing to use his walkie talkie instead.

“Yo, I’m gonna be really honest. This guy is a sleazebag who tried to molest me. Send someone here, I’m calling the police!” snaps Valerie before dropping the walkie to the ground.

She calls the police next, making the report over the phone and sending the information to them before ending the call. She squats down to the guy with a smirk on her face.

“I’ve got a video, so you’re done for honey. Have fun in jail.” says Valerie clearly over the rain.

Another tow truck arrives, followed by the police. She gives the form to the new guy, and heads to her car. She doesn’t bother talking to the cop, choosing to get in the car and leave instead.

“What was all that about?” asks Liv.

“Yeah, what happened back there?” asks Talise.

“I’m just going to say that he’s being arrested for trying to molest me.” replies Valerie as she forces her eyes to stay on the road.

“What?!”

“I fucking knew you were on the phone with Bate.” snaps Valerie with an eyeroll.

“I called her, dumbass, you were taking too long.”

“Oh, give it the fuck up you ass. We will be there soon, but I don’t see a reason to talk to you. I’ll be leaving after they get inside.” snaps Valerie in annoyance.

“Woah, have you seen my text?”

“Nope because I was dealing with a drunk guy trying to molest me in a fucking storm. I had to kick his ass because I was the only one out there.” sighs Valerie as her grip tightens on the steering wheel.

“Pull over, read it, then text me back. You need a second to recoup and hopefully my text will be of some help.”

“Don’t you want us to hurry?” asks Valerie snidely.

“Just do it, please. I’m going to hope that you’ll respond before you get here.”

“We’re pulling over… Bye.” replies Valerie, annoyance in her voice as she begins pulling off into a gas station.

“Bye.”

She parks her car by a gas pump, shuts it off, and gets out. Her door slams shut behind her, and she leans against her car. She pulls her phone out and clicks on the message Tyler sent.

Ty<3: No one, but you never acted like you liked it in the first place. It was as though you were embarrassed by it instead.

Val: More like embarrassed by how much I liked it.

She slips her card out of her phone case and goes through the motions of getting the gas going into her car. She takes a second to breathe deeply away from the pump before she sends the gas down into her gas tank. She groans as her phone dings, setting the pump up for it to pump the gas itself. She pulls her phone out and clicks on the message.

Ty<3: You liked it? You liked me shielding you? Why?

A blush spreads over her cheeks, then there’s two clicks. One’s from the pump telling her it’s done, but the other one sounds almost like a camera. Her head darts up just in time to see Liv quickly getting in the car. She shakes her head before pumping a bit more gas in her car, forgoing the receipt, putting the pump back, and opening her door. She opens the message gain, biting her lip before replying.

Val: I’d rather not do this through text… Let’s just say, I like protective and jealous men, to an extent. I know you see me as a sister or a friend, but I see you as so much more. We are twenty minutes away, so you’ll have Liv soon enough. Goodbye Tyler.

She gets in the car, tears slowly sliding down her cheeks as she hits send. She locks her phone, putting it in the small compartment under her radio, and starts her car without a word. She sees the shared looks between the two, but she bites her tongue and stays focused on the road. Valerie pulls into the hotel parking lot twenty minutes later, going to the front under the awning, and she parks while popping the trunk.

“Look at your phone.” says Liv shortly as she and Talise get out of the car.

Liv slams her door shut, causing Valerie to get out and snap, “Don’t slam my fucking door!”

“Liv, you…” starts Talise.

“It’s not your fucking car anyways you brat!” sneers Liv.

“Look at the damn plates, bitch! It’s my fucking car! I paid for it!” snarls Valerie angrily.

“It is her car Liv; you shouldn’t have slammed the door.” says Talise calmly.

“Maybe she should woman the fuck up and tell Tyler how she feels.” deflects Liv rudely.

“Liv…” starts Talise.

“No, stay out of it Tali.” interjects Valerie as she reaches in and grabs her car before walking over to them. “I did tell Tyler, Liv. That’s why I didn’t speak the whole way here. That’s why I didn’t touch my phone. That’s why there were tears falling down my cheeks. So, why don’t you back the fuck off you cowardly bitch. It doesn’t matter how I feel, it never has. Now get your shit and get the hell away from me.”

Her voice is cold, and her eyes are full of hate and anger. Liv cowers, not even trying to argue, hiding behind Talise. When her best friend shrinks away from her, Valerie takes a step back in shock. She pulls the bags out, leaving them on the sidewalk, shuts her trunk, and gets back in her car. She locks the doors, finally looking at her phone as her mind whirls. Tyler has texted her again.

Ty<3: You like that? You have feelings for me? Liv? I don’t care about Liv like that. I… We need… We really need to talk. Please come to my room, 1435.

She shakes her head as she responds.

Val: I’m not coming up. I’m going home.

She’s just putting her car into drive when her phone starts ringing and vibrating in her cup holder. She clicks the green phone button, looks at the caller id, and promptly hands up.

“Dammit… Shouldn’t have done that.” groans Valerie as she lays her head against the steering wheel.

A minute later her phone goes off again, it keeps ringing. She answers it, knowing it’s a bad idea.

“Hello?”

“Val! Why are you being stupid?”

“Pete, I’m not being stupid.”

“You’re in love with him.”

“That means literally nothing.”

“Did you watch our interview?”

“Didn’t know you had one.”

“Well, you may want to.”

“Where is he?”

“He’s in the shower. He hasn’t seen your message. Don’t leave.”

“Pete, I’ve already been here too long. Got in an argument with Liv.”

“Val, watch the interview. Please don’t leave.”

“I’ll watch, then I’ll decide.”

“I do hope you won’t leave. Watch the interview.”

“I’ll decide after I watch it, Pete.”

“Fine, but let me know first. He’s already going to be upset when he sees your text.”

“We’ll see.”

“Bye hon.”

“Bye Bruiserweight.”

She hangs up, her eyes soft as she thinks of how far they’ve come. She and Pete used to hate each other with a passion. They never got along, whether she was a manager or his partner, not until she took a hit that was meant for Tyler. She took a hit that kept her out of the ring for over a month, but it kept Tyler safe and fighting. Pete stood up for her when she took the hit because everyone was angry with her for stepping into a position that she wasn’t supposed to be in. Tyler was supposed to take the hit, but she knew what would happen. He stood up for her because he finally trusted her, and they made a truce that night in the trainer’s room. Valerie pulls up the interview, takes a breath, and hits play.

“Did she really leave us out there like that?” asks Trent in confusion.

“She must’ve had a reason.” pushes Pete grimly.

“Pete, she left us. It’s all my fault.” grumbles Tyler in annoyance.

“On that note, please don’t hit me for the interruption,” starts Radzi as he catches them. “I must ask you, Tyler, what I’ve asked Val Jay already. If I could?”

“Go on Radzi.” says Tyler softly.

“The fans have suspected you and Val to be in a relationship.” says Radzi as he looks at him intently. “However, you look at each other in anger tonight. Tyler, are you two together? Can we assume that you have feelings for each other? On camera we seen the hurt in your eyes when you walked away which makes us all wonder whether you do have feelings for each other. Is it more for you?”

“Radzi, that’s a tad personal, don’t you think?” asks Trent in surprise.

“Val probably didn’t answer, so why would Tyler?” asks Pete darkly.

“Val Jay didn’t answer, however, Valerie did.” replies Radzi softly.

“What? Valerie?” asks Pete, eyes wide in shock.

“Impossible.” says Trent seriously.

“I’ll answer.” replies Tyler simply as he prepares to move out of the shot. “I speak as myself normally, but now it’s personal. It’s more for me, it has been for a long time. Whether it is for her, well I’m clueless to that. I’ll be honest, I love her, but if she doesn’t feel the same then nothing will change.”

Val lets her phone fall out of her hand, mouth dropping as his words, “It’s more for me, it has been for a long time,” and “I love her,” run around in her head. She can’t think straight with those words slamming into doors and chasing each other on repeat. Valerie forces her mouth closed, picking her phone up from where it fell, and rewinds the video. She watches it three more times before she calls Pete.

“’lo?”

“Seriously?!”

“Oh, you’ve watched it?”

“Yes, I have, and I’m losing it.”

“Come up to his room.”

“Is he okay?”

“Well, not really.”

“Explain.”

“He’s got tear str…”

“I’ll be up in ten.”

Click.

She moves quickly, parking her car in a close parking spot, grabbing her phone and bag, then heading into the hotel. She slips her ring onto her finger as she walks by the check-in desk.

“Ma’am, check-in has passed.” calls a young blonde woman from the desk.

“I know, but my husband forgot his bag. He told me to come up, I have his room number.” replies Valerie sweetly.

“If you don’t mind, I need to call and check.” sneers the woman.

“Oh, of course. Room 1435, Linda is it? Pretty name.” replies Valerie softly with a smile.

“Room 1435 is booked by three men, what’s your husband’s name?” asks Linda with a smirk.

“Tyler Bate, darling.” replies Valerie, allowing a fond smile to grace her lips.

“He’s single, chatted me up when he arrived. Where’s the ring?” asks Linda with that same annoying smirk.

“Oh, you didn’t see. Right here darling,” replies Valerie excitedly as she shows off the gorgeous diamond ring that Tyler had bought her three months prior for Christmas. “It’s gorgeous huh? I didn’t even drop hints; he has amazing taste. Which is why I know that you were the one flirting. Call him or let me be on my way.”

Linda’s eyes widen at the sight of the ring, then she drops her eyes as she dials a number.

“Hi, sorry to disturb you Mr. Bate, but I have a woman here claiming to be your wife.”

“Tell him he forgot his ring gear.” says Valerie softly.

“She says you forgot your ring gear, sir. Is she really your wife? Do you want me to send her up?”

She sees Linda’s hopeful look turn into a dejected pout, and she knows she’s won.

“He said to send you on up there. He said he wasn’t expecting you to come tonight.” grumbles Linda with a pout.

“I know because I told him I wasn’t going to come since it was storming so bad.” replies Valerie as she turns to leave. “I live a ways away, and my street was flooded when I was leaving. Have a nice night, Linda.”

She walks to the elevators, hitting the up button as her phone dings. She pulls it out as the elevator doors open. She steps in and hits floor two as she opens another text from Tyler.

Ty<3: I thought you weren’t coming. Why are you coming? Husband?

Val: I was pissed at Liv because I argued with her. I wasn’t going to come because I figured she’d come to you. I had my ring on, so it was the first thing that popped into my mind.

Ty<3: I haven’t spoken to Liv, told the boys to keep everyone out because I didn’t want to deal with anyone. Then that call came, and I was confused.

Val: Well, Linda is a wonderful young woman. While very sweet, she was extremely unhappy when I told her your name because you two were quite flirty apparently.

She steps off the elevator and walks down the hallway. She follows the arrows and room numbers down to his room. She’s just reaching up to knock when her phone goes off, so she knocks twice before looking at the message. 

Ty<3: She’s a bimbo and can’t take a hint. I wore my ring too…

“Coming, just a second!”

She replies without thinking.

Val: It’s always on a chain Tyler.

The door opens and she looks at Tyler, eyes flitting down his bare chest before she can stop herself.

“My finger instead of the chain this time Val.” whispers Tyler softly as he moves to let her in.

She sees it glinting in the light as she walks in, and she immediately grabs his wrist to look closely.

“Wait, this is the ring I gave you. You normally wear Toni’s.” says Valerie with surprise in her voice as she softly rubs her thumb across the cool, silver ring.

“No, I wear yours.” says Tyler as he pushes the door shut and just looks at her. “I gave Toni her black one awhile ago. I’ve been wearing yours and my mom’s rings on the chain for a long time. I put yours on my finger when Pete calls the front desk to see whether it’s a woman working. I slipped it on after the match tonight, Toni brought me my chain since it was ripped off, and I immediately slipped the ring on to calm myself.”

“Wait, what?” whispers Valerie softly, voice flitting between happiness and sadness. “I thought it didn’t fit or you didn’t want to wear it because you didn’t like it. I didn’t know, but I just didn’t think you wanted it.”

“It fit; I just don’t wear rings a lot because of work.” explains Tyler softly. “I’ve only put your ring on since you gave it to me. Hers was on the chain while yours was on my finger.”

“What… Why… Tyler?!” exclaims Valerie as she moves away from him to pace. “You are so confusing! At least I’ve tried to be obvious in my love for you. You aren’t obvious at all outside of the regular friend shit that we’ve always done. Geez I give up.”

“Valerie, take a breath and stop for a second.” says Tyler as he steps to her, hands resting on her shoulders. “How’ve you been obvious? If anyone has been obvious, it’s me. My love for you was clear from the beginning. Everyone teased me constantly.”

“What are you talking about?” asks Valerie in shock as she looks at him, moving a tad bit closer. “I sat closer to you, practically in your lap. I held your hand constantly, kissing your cheek. Cuddling with you under the guise of being cold. Are you telling me that you didn’t notice any of that?”

“Of course, I did, you made it so hard for me to be calm around you!” exclaims Tyler as his hands go up as he explains. “Did you not notice the shifting I did when you cuddled against me, forcing my hand to the couch when it drifted too low? Did you not notice the kisses I gave you constantly or the compliments? Did you not notice those little things that I’ve done for years? Did that not mean anything? I’m in love with you Valerie, for god’s sake!”

“Of course, it matters!” exclaims Valerie, voice choked with sadness as she sits on her knees on the ground. “Seeing you with Toni and Liv killed me! I was so jealous that I avoided you and them for a while. I couldn’t stand to be there when they were around because I could never be close to you. They took my place and filled it better than I ever could. I didn’t have a place there, so back off. Then you bailed on me three fucking time over fucking Toni, so we argued, and I trained with Pete. I overdid it to the point of fainting, and then tonight happened. Toni fucking kissed you, and I shattered. It was my own personal hell, and I deserved it.”

She’s full on sobbing into her hands, emotions out of control in a way she’d never shown anyone. She tries to calm herself, muttering, “You knew it would never be. Stop being a baby. You’re not worth it and you’re not good enough.”

“Don’t talk about my baby girl like that!” scolds Tyler as he comes to sit next to her on the floor.

“Don’t... Please, don’t.” whimpers Valerie heartbreakingly.

“I’ve already told you, I’m in love with you. I admitted it in my interview, and I told Toni. She kissed me, I pushed her away. She knows that she doesn’t stand a chance anymore, and she’s known since I told her how I felt for you.” explains Tyler softly as he lifter her head to look in her green eyes.

“When did she stand a chance?” asks Valerie in a hushed whisper.

“Before I met you almost five years ago.” whispers Tyler with adoration prevalent in his brown eyes.

“You remembered?” asks Valerie in shock.

“Of course, I did.” whispers Tyler wholeheartedly as a small smile quirks up on his lips. “I always do, Val. You came in and made me realise that I didn’t know what love was.”

“You…” replies Valerie as she tries to ignore the last part he said and avoids his eyes. “I figured you’d forget because you’ve been so busy. Plus, you didn’t even day happy birthday to me.”

“Baby girl, I didn’t forget your birthday, nor could I ever forget the day you changed my life.” explains Tyler with a thoughtful look on his face as he moves her head up to look at her face once again. “I was mad, so I didn’t tell you happy birthday. I made sure Pete did It for me though. I have your gift by the way. Also, are you going to ignore the last thing I said?”

“I thought we agreed no presents. I’m not ignoring what you said, love, it just needs to process.” explains Valerie softly as she moves to look at the ground again.

“Hey, I want to see your gorgeous green eyes.” says Tyler as he tilts her head up again. “Love, what needs to process? That I felt more for you the day we met than I ever did for Toni or that I am undeniably in love with you? Also, love, your gift is on the side table.”

She’s looking at him in complete shock, eyes wide, as his words repeat themselves in her mind.

“Okay, I need to get up.” replies Valerie with a shake of her head to clear it. “My mind is to much of a mess to handle this right now.”

“Maybe I can help clear it, if you’re okay with It.” whispers Tyler as he gives her a smirk that always makes her go weak in the knees.

“I don’t know what you’re going to try but stop with the smirk. I need to be able to walk, Ty, not be so weak in the knees that I can’t even stand up. You don’t know how much trouble that smirk has got me in.” replies Valerie, her voice going soft near the end.

“Glad to know I affect you as much as you affect me. Now, can I do something?” asks Tyler softly.

“Umm… depends on what that something is.” whispers Valerie softly as she looks into his eyes.

“Do you trust me?” asks Tyler softly.

“With everything in me.” replies Valerie honestly.

“Close your eyes.” whispers Tyler.

She looks at him a second longer before closing her eyes, body tensed. She feels him disappear, but she stays quiet listening keenly. She hears the shuffle of feet across a carpet floor, then hot breath hits the back of her neck as her hair is moved to the side. She shivers as she feels a kiss placed softly behind her ear.

“You sure you trust me?” asks Tyler, whispering in her ear.

“I do, Ty.” whispers Valerie breathlessly.

“If I were to kiss you, would you let me?” asks Tyler in a whisper, his breath ghosting over her ear.

“Yes.” replies Valerie as she feels him behind her.

“You sure?” asks Tyler as if he’s nervous.

She doesn’t respond, choosing to carefully turn herself around, eyes open as she maneuvers so she can see him. The light is on behind her as she now faces him, and he’s shadowed by darkness, but she can see him perfectly. He’s got concern written all over his face, but there’s a glimpse of hope in his eyes. It’s a speck, but she smiles softly towards him because she feels it too. His furrowed brow forces her into action without thinking.

“Stop that.” whispers Valerie as she smooths his brow.

“You alright?” asks Tyler softly.

Distracted, she doesn’t respond, not even registering the question, letting her fingers softly trail down the side of his face. Her fingers brush through his beard and mustache as she lets her thumb rub across his full bottom lip. She feels a rush of something unexpected, biting her lip, as his teeth grip his bottom lip suddenly.

“Hey, stop that.” whispers Tyler as he runs his thumb along her bottom lip to get her to release it.

“Wha...” Huh?” asks Valerie as she’s brought out of her head.

“You are gorgeous, you know that?” asks Tyler, voice barely above a whisper as her green eyes enrapture him.

“Don’t know about that, but no one can deny that you’re handsome, brown eyes.” replies Valerie bashfully as she averts her eyes a bit.

“Don’t shy away from me.” whispers Tyler, his breath ghosting her ear. “I want to see those gorgeous green eyes looking at me. I want to see you blush and bite your lip when you look at me and dirty thoughts roll through your mind. I love the way your eyes go darker when you lose control for even just a moment and see me working out or coming from the ring.”

“You are trying to rile me up, aren’t you? We are supposed to be talking, not whatever this is.” says Valerie softly as she forces herself to look away, eyes dark.

“You’re so easy to rile up, love. We’ve been talking, have we not?” asks Tyler softly as he moves away to give her space.

“Don’t move away too far there, Ty. I am not going to push you away, but we need to really talk, and you’re distracting.” says Valerie as she grabs his hand.

“What else do we need to talk about? Oh, let me get your gift for you Valerie.” says Tyler as he stands, turning on the lights as he goes to the bed.

“Tyler... What?” asks Valerie as she gets up, the lights coming on.

“Your gift… It’s kind of stupid now, but it’s what I’ve got.” says Tyler as he picks up a small box from the side table.

She walks over to him and says, “Please tell me what I did wrong.”

“What do you mean? You didn’t do anything.” argues Tyler weakly as he hands her the gift.

“Ty, I did something because you pulled away, and you’re now insecure about a gift that you were almost excited for.” replies Valerie as she takes the blue box from him.

“Just, you… I don’t know. Ignore it. Anyways, open the gift.” says Tyler with a shrug.

She looks at him a second longer before sighing. She pulls him onto the bed with her as they sit against the wall. She moves to sit right next to him, and she feels him tense up before his arm goes around her.

“Is this okay?” asks Valerie shyly as she looks away.

“Of course, it is, why wouldn’t it be?” asks Tyler confusedly.

“You’re acting weird, and I didn’t know what was up.” replies Valerie pointedly before looking at the small gift again.

“Sorry, I’m just processing, I guess. It’s just that I’m not… Open your gift first, then I will explain.” says Tyler softly.

She looks at him suspiciously, then she looks back at the gift. She turns it over to find the, always there, pulled up piece of silver wrapping paper. She carefully unwrapped the squared gift, pulling out a black box with a small piece of paper, that seems to have been folded over several times, taped on top.

“Do you want me to open the box or the paper first?” asks Valerie softly as she looks over at him.

“I would open the paper first because it explains the gift.” mutters Tyler softly.

“Okay, I’ll do that then.” whispers Valerie as she carefully pulls the paper off of the box.

She unfolds it until it’s a full sheet of paper. Valerie turns to Tyler, sitting so she’s facing him as she begins to read.

Dear Valerie,

There’s a lot to cover in this note. A plethora of things I need to tell you. However, to begin with, Happy Birthday Love. I hope it’s wonderful and full of fun. I don’t know if I’ll be around when you receive this gift, so I’ve decided it’s also confession time.

There’s a lot to say, but I don’t want to draw anything out, love. There is a question for you to answer, but don’t look at it until you’ve read all that is written. I have several things to clear up, I’ll start with several people and some of our more disastruous arguments.

Talise is a friend, as she has been for awhile. She’s very good at her job and is quite protective of you as well. She knows about my feelings for you, and she’s extremely supportive of it.

Rhea again is a friend whom Pete introduced me to a few years ago. She’s like a sister, and I helped set her up with Noam. She’s overbearing and protective, but I am as well.

Liv is a friend, but we’ve argued over her almost more than anyone else. We’ve never gotten together, she wants to see us together almost as much as Talise does. It’s flirty banter, but she’s not over going to be more than a friend, and we are both very happy about that.

Toni is my ex, and you’ve known that for years. She’s not someone I ever plan on going back to. We’ve argued over this so many times like an old married couple. She knows how I feel for you, but she’s not as supportive. She doesn’t like that I don’t want to think about being with anyone but you.

Finally, Valerie, I am in love with you. I hope I haven’t messed anything up. I am jealous when you spend time with guys over me. I need to apologise over my anger against you and Pete. I just, we train together and it hurt that you chose him over me. Read the engraving, think long and hard. I’m sure the meaning won’t be far off. I love you darling.

Love,

Tyler

Her heart is beating as though to beat right out of her chest. A smile gracing her lips as tears of joy slip down her cheeks, she looks at him before folding the sheet up again. Valerie picks up the box, cold and still, she lifts the lid to find a heart locket necklace. It’s silver with swirls of blue and gold, a yin and yang symbolic curl of the colors together. Valerie lets her finger slide softly over the gorgeous curl of colors before finding the small latch. She clicks it open and sees a picture of her and Tyler on the left side, her heart pounds in her chest at the chosen picture, he’s holding her bridal style. It’s zoomed in, so you can hardly tell, but she recognizes it as the picnic they had for her birthday last year.

On the right side, she notices it’s a blank cut-out heart, so she pulls it out to examine it. She gasps, the cut-out falling to the bed, the words, “Be Mine Now to Forever?” were written in a blue to gold cursive print. She looks at him, he’s not looking at her, but the slight tilt of his head tells her everything she needs to know.

“Now to Forever, Love.” whispers Valerie as she sets her hand on his.

“Seriously? You’re not joking?” asks Tyler in disbelief as he looks at her.

“Tyler, I’ve loved you for years.” replies Valerie, a cheeky smile gracing her lips as their eyes lock. “All I’ve ever wanted was for you to be mine. I don’t know if we’ll make it to forever, but I don’t plan to let you go anytime soon.”

“Love, now ‘til forever is the plan.” whispers Tyler as he leans in close, hands coming up to cup her face. “You’re going to get sick of me. I’ve waited so long for this darlin’.”

“Take what you’re craving then Ty. I’ve been waiting patiently.” whispers Valerie as she leans her forehead against his.

“Gladly.” whispers Tyler.

He leans in, pressing his lips softly against hers. It’s not more than a press of lips until she adds a bit of pressure. He parts his lips enough to softly tug on her bottom lip before their lips glide against each other. He pulls away, not getting far as her hands are in his hair and shirt holding him close to her. Their eyes open at the same time after a moment, and cheesy grins spread on their faces.

“I love you.” says Tyler softly.

“I love you too.” whispers Valerie.


End file.
